


Unfinished Teen Wolf Briam Fics and Oneshots

by leonheart2012



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-23
Updated: 2016-07-23
Packaged: 2018-07-22 12:47:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,804
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7439929
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/leonheart2012/pseuds/leonheart2012
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>I'll change the tags as they come up, but I have tons of fics floating around on my computer, in my notebooks and on my hard drive, so here they are. If you want to continue anything, or use any lines I have, feel free (that's kind of what they're here for, since I probably won't finish them on my own)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Unfinished Teen Wolf Briam Fics and Oneshots

"Liam!" It was the last day of term, and the last thing Liam needed was Brett running after him, calling his name. And yet there he was, on the last day of term with Brett running after him, calling his name. Liam sighed and turned to face him. "Liam." Brett panted, coming to a stop in front of him.

"What?" Liam huffed. "Couldn't this have waited?" He just wanted to get home.

"No." Brett caught his breath. "Man, you’re fast." He straightened. "Okay, I was a dick to you and I'm sorry." He let that sink in for a moment, waiting for a response, but Liam was all too happy to disappoint. "I..." he scratched the back of his neck, looking away awkwardly. "I was hoping that you'd say it was all fine, and then we'd laugh it all off, exchange numbers and hang out, but I guess not."

 _Is he serious?_ Liam turned away, but Brett caught his arm. He turned back slowly with a sigh.

"Aren't you going to say anything?" Brett asked, looking hurt, confused and embarrassed.

Liam shrugged. "Well, I don't really know what to say. I mean, thanks, I guess?"

"Thanks? I said I'm sorry." Liam could see that Brett was getting flustered. There was a blush dusting the tips of his ears and the bridge of his nose.

Liam sighed and shrugged again. "Yeah, you said sorry, but that doesn't make it all magically disappear. You were still a dick, I still have IED, and those things you said still hurt, so...thanks for being sorry, but I don't forgive you."

"What do I have to do?" Liam was surprised to hear that Brett was being serious.

"I don't know." Liam shrugged. "I have no idea what it's going to take for me to trust you, or forgive you, because no one's ever asked me for forgiveness before, Brett. I've always been the one who has to apologise. And frankly, you're crazy for even wanting forgiveness. You know I'll snap again, and you'll probably be a dick about that too. I can't change who I am, and neither can you."

Brett scowled. "Believe it or not, I'm not always a dick, Liam."

Liam shook his head, deciding to let it go. "Why now? Why is this so important?"

Brett sighed and looked at the floor, shuffling his feet. "This is my last year. I know it's not yours, but I don't want to leave with any regrets. If I left our relationship how it is now, I'd regret it. You're not a bad guy, Liam. I just wanted you to know that."

Liam sighed and bit his lip. "Okay," he said eventually, holding his hand out in front of him, "I'll put my number in your phone and maybe, if texting goes okay, I'll hang out with you."

Brett beamed at Liam, handing him his phone. "Thanks."

"Yeah...just don't screw this up, okay?" Liam said, handing back Brett's phone.

"I won't. I promise." Brett lingered for a few seconds, goofy smile on his face, before skipping away. Well, he didn't skip, but there was a definite bounce to his step.

Liam sighed and went home. _Please don't mess this up, Brett. I don't want you to fuck this up._

  


**From: Brett T 9:59**

-Hey-

"Oh my God." Liam groaned when he checked his phone. His mother looked up worriedly as he scrubbed his face with his hands.

"What’s wrong, cupcake?" The nickname came from when he was eight and had only wanted cupcakes - breakfast, lunch and dinner. He wouldn't accept anything else. Damn near starved because of it, and he had become very unhealthy, but the nickname had stuck.

Liam sighed into his hands before answering through his fingers. "Brett's been texting me pretty much non-stop for three days, and the best he can come up with is 'hey'. I think I'm just about ready to block him."

"Maybe he just doesn't know what to say." Liam sighed, putting his head on the table. His mother placed her hand between his shoulder blades. "Look, maybe you should text him back, talk about puppies or lacrosse - anything. Give him something to talk to you about, not just say hi."

Liam groaned again. "But how?"

"How do you text Mason? Text him like you normally would, and if you like him back, it'll all work out."

Liam uncovered his face and narrowed his eyes at his mother. "What?" He frowned at her. "I'm not interested in dating him."

Her eyebrows rose. "Oh. Maybe you should tell him that."

"Why?"

She looked at him with pity in her eyes. "Cupcake, he's been texting you non-stop for three days. He likes you."

Liam's face heated in a blush. "I think I'll just call him." He grabbed his phone and headed upstairs. He found Brett's name in his contacts and hit the 'call' button, with maybe a little bit more force than necessary.

"Hey, Liam." Brett said cheerfully on the other end.

Liam didn't waste any time on pleasantries - he got straight down to business. "Why are you texting me 'hey' every five minutes?"

There was a pause that stretched for a minute or two. "I am?"

Liam face-palmed at his guilty tone. "Yes."

"Are you sure?" Brett asked slowly, and Liam had to hold his anger down.

He rolled his eyes at his wall and flopped down onto his mattress. "Yes, Brett, I'm sure. They're coming from your number."

"Well, I haven't been sending you any texts." Even without listening to his heartbeat, Liam could tell he was lying. He decided to go along with it anyway.

"Then were have they been coming from?"

"Your guess is as good as mine, but seeing as they don't sound like pocket texts, I think maybe Lori sent them." _Dumping it on his sister? That’s low._ "She sometimes gets my phone. I'll have to change my password again."

"Great, well-"

"Did you want to hang out today? I'm free, and Lori's fine on her own." Brett intercepted, hope in his voice.

Liam sighed. "Not right now, Brett. I said texting first, remember?"

"Yeah, okay." He sounded disappointed, but Liam brushed it off. "So, how are the holidays so far?"

"Yeah, good. I've been spending most of my time with mom and dad. I've got some homework that I'm supposed to be doing, but I really can’t be bothered."

"Yeah, same. Homework sucks. Maybe we could do ours together at some point, yeah?"

"Yeah, maybe..." Liam felt nervous about this, about committing to go somewhere or do something with someone he barely knew.

"We don't have to, you know?" Brett said quickly, apparently hearing Liam's unease. "We could just talk and text. I would be fine with that. Would you be fine with that?"

"Brett." Liam was smiling, feeling a little better. "I don't know yet. That's kind of the point."

"Oh. Right, yeah. Okay."

There was a lull in the conversation. Liam sighed, deciding that if this was going to work, he needed Brett to know that honesty was the route to a quick friendship. "Brett?"

"...Yes?" Brett said, voice a bundle of twitching nerves.

"Did Lori really get a hold of your phone?"

There was a long pause. "No." His next words were very quick to fall from his mouth. "I just – I didn't know what to say. I want to make things right between us, and I know you said you didn't want to hang out until we'd texted a bit, but I only really text people when I want to organise a meet-up. Otherwise, I call them."

"Okay, then call me."

"Really?" Brett sounded surprised.

"Yeah, call me. Do whatever makes you comfortable. I'm fine with either, but if you're just going to text me 'hey' every five minutes, call me."

"Okay. Yeah, will do. And uh...sorry about all the texts. And for lying. And - for everything, really. I'm just kind of freaking out. I've never had to redeem myself."

Liam’s eyebrows rose. "Not even for a girlfriend?"

"Nope. I've never had a reason to. Never cheated, never gossiped, never done anything, really. I don't think I was a great boyfriend, though." He sighed. "I've mostly just...I don't want to say ignored, but that's kind of what I did." He gave a short laugh. "And I'm telling a guy I barely know about my dating failures. Oh, I am pathetic."

"No, it's good to know. Lets me know what I need to look out for. If you ignore your girlfriends, you're going to ignore your friends, too."

"Really? I don't think I ignore my friends. I mean, I don't ignore my boyfriends - well, I didn't ignore my boyfriend when I had one. He was great. I spent so much of my - oh. You’re right. I _did_ ignore my friends."

"Okay, glad we got that sorted out. Anyway, I should probably go now, but call me later, yeah?"

Liam could almost see his smile. "Yeah."

Liam got ready to go out, descending the stairs, ready for his mother to jump out at him and say 'I told you so', even though she had no proof of anything. He saw her and launched into his explanation before she could say anything. "Well, I called him. He doesn't like me." Liam’s mother raised her eyebrows, but didn’t say anything. "What? He doesn't. I didn't ask, but there's no way. He just prefers calling to texting."

His mother shrugged. "Okay, but I didn't say anything."

"I know you didn't. But you were thinking it." Liam grumbled as he pulled on his shoes. "I'm going out with Mason now, so I'll see you later, okay?"

"Okay." Liam hugged his mother goodbye, and got the bus to the mall, where he met Mason.

  


"Show me your phone." Mason said, hand extended. Liam sighed and handed it to him. Mason scrolled through Liam's texts and whistled lowly. "Your mom's right. He definitely likes you." Liam's phone buzzed. "Oh look, it's another text from Brett. Should I read it?"

"No, you should give me my phone back." Liam said, extending his hand, trying to get his phone back.

"Oh, so that's how it is, is it?" Mason opened the text. "Oh, yeah. He definitely likes you." He handed the phone back. Liam frowned at Mason and looked at the text.

**From: Brett T 12:08**

-Hey, just wanted to make sure it'd be okay if I called in half an hour? I'm just getting home.-

**To: Brett T 12:08**

-Yeah, that’d be fine.–

Liam tucked his phone away and glowered at Mason. "He was just-"

"Yeah, yeah." Mason waved him off. "Whatever, man. He likes you, and you should give him a chance, even if it's just for me. Take some pictures, tell me how his kisses are. All the gossip." He gasped. "And the sex. Oh my God, Liam, tell me how the sex is."

"Calm your dick, Mason - I'm not doing that. Besides, I can't, because _he doesn't like me_."

"Whatever you say, man. Whatever you say." Mason winked and smiled, earning himself a playful slap on the arm. "So, are you going to hang out with him?"

Liam rolled his eyes with a dramatic sigh. "I still haven't decided yet, so sit your thirsty ass down."

Mason laughed. "Yes, sir." Mason false saluted before going back to the game he was playing. He turned back moments later, though. "You never said that you don't like him. Do you?"

"I hate you." Liam frowned. "I should get going."

"What? You can't leave me like that!" Mason cried and attached himself to Liam's arm. "Do you like him? You told me that you weren't gay or bi."

"Sure, when I was twelve, Mase. I've changed. As for liking him...maybe. I mean, he said some stuff...that hurt really bad. But...he _is_ pretty cute." Liam looked down at Mason, still clinging to his arm. "So am I free to go now?"

Yeah, sure. Just...leave me your tickets?" Mason looked up at him hopefully, like a puppy with huge eyes. Liam sighed and pushed them towards him.

"I don't know why you love them so much, anyway. They don't get you anything good."

Mason grinned and folded the tickets up before shoving them into his zip-lock bag, now bulging with tickets. When he'd started, he'd had a pretty much empty bag. Now he had seven jumbo zip-lock bags in a specially marked backpack that he took with him when he went to any arcade. "Oh, just you wait, Liam. I'll get you the best present on the planet in one of these arcades one day."

"Yeah, sure. Just as soon as I start growing a tail." Liam kissed Mason's cheek quickly before leaving. He didn't mind that a lot of people saw it as gay. He loved his friend, and he would show it, no matter how it looked to anyone else. When Liam had started doing it, Mason had thought that he was into him, and Liam had found himself in a month-long relationship with his best friend, mostly because he didn't know how to make it end.

Liam shuddered as he remembered kissing Mason almost every day for that whole month. It had started with a bang and ended softly, with Mason apologising profusely for everything he'd done.

_Liam was sitting next to Mason, playing on his X-BOX when Mason leaned over and kissed his cheek. Liam smiled at him, because he'd thought that he was just displaying his friendly love for him. Mason smiled back before going for it. He pulled Liam in by the back of his neck and kissed him full on the lips._

_Liam moaned in surprise, but Mason took it as a sign to keep going. It didn't feel bad, it was just...shocking. Liam thought that he might get used to it, but he didn't. As Mason pushed him to the floor, he felt himself shy away from the contact. Even as he did, Mason pulled him closer, using his hand on the back of Liam's neck as leverage._

_Liam's hands found Mason's waist, and he tried to push him off, but Mason was on tight. "Liam." Mason breathed against his neck._

_"Yeah?" Liam asked in a small voice, helplessly trapped underneath Mason's weight._

_"That was great." Mason laughed breathily in his ear, and all Liam could do was agree. His arms, against his will, wrapped around Mason's waist, pulling him closer. He loved Mason's skin, his enthusiasm, his soft nature and his good heart, but he didn't want to be like that with him._

Liam smiled at the memory as he boarded the bus.

_"Mom?" Liam asked, standing outside the kitchen, hands clasped in front of him._

_"Yes, cupcake?" His mother's voice sung from inside._

_Liam wrestled his hands apart. "You know how Mason and I are...together?" He concentrated on his fingers as he mashed them together, interlocking them._

_"Yeah?"_

_Liam hesitated, not knowing how to ask what he wanted to ask. "How do we not be?"_

_She swung out of the kitchen and frowned at him, head tilted to the side. "What do you mean?"_

_Liam sighed. "Well, I love him, but I don't...you know, **love** him."_

_"Oh, you want him as a friend?" Liam smiled in relief and nodded. His mother led him to the couch and sat him down. "Okay, well, how did this relationship start?"_

_"We were playing X-BOX in my room, and he kissed my cheek, like I do with all my friends. I smiled at him, and then he kind of...we were kissing, and he'd pushed me back to the floor, and I wasn't really enjoying it, and then we were dating."_

_Liam's mother nodded slowly. "Okay. And have you told Mason how you feel?"_

_Liam blushed and looked down at his hands. "No. I don't really know how to. I mean, I still want him as a friend, but..."_

_"Just be honest with him. I bet he'll still want to be friends too. He's always been a good friend to you, cupcake."_

_"Thanks mom." Liam hopped down off the couch and went to Mason's house. He told him everything, and Mason got redder and redder the more Liam talked._

_Mason pushed his face into his pillow and sobbed. Liam rubbed his back awkwardly, not really sure what he should be doing. Mason pulled his face out of his pillow and looked mournfully at Liam. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm an idiot."_

_Liam frowned and shrugged. "Well, I mean, I still want to be friends, if that's okay with you, I just...I'm not gay, or bi and if I was, I'm not into you like that."_

_"Yeah, okay." Mason said, going back to crying into his pillow. "Can you just...leave me alone for a while?"_

_"Sure." And even though he'd never loved Mason as anything more than a friend, he secretly missed his lips, his touches, his gentle words, and he wondered if he was ever going to feel them again. He needn't have worried. After a few days of crying - on both boys' parts - Mason and Liam became friends again, closer than ever._

Liam got off at his stop just as his phone rang. "Hey, Brett."

"Hi, Liam. You doing alright?"

"Yeah. You?"

"Yeah. So, I was thinking about those texts, and maybe I'll text instead of calling. I mean, I've got to start at some point, right?"

Liam shrugged as he walked, fully aware that Brett couldn't see him, but unable to stop the gesture. "Okay. As I said, you do whatever you're comfortable with. It was really nice to get a text asking if it was okay to call. No one else I know is that courteous. Do you do that for everybody?"

"Yeah, I do. I'm glad you liked it. I like to give people a heads-up before doing anything, just in case it's a bad time."

"It's good. I like it." Liam thought about what Mason said, and what his mother had said to him years ago. "Listen, I was thinking of maybe going out to dinner with Mason and my parents at the end of the month and...maybe you'd like to come with?"

"I'd love to. Can Lori come as well? It's been a long time since we've been out of the house to do something special together."

"Sure. The more the merrier, right?" That was what his mother always said, so he was sure she'd be okay with him bringing Brett and Lori along. Even so, he was nervous about it. He had kind of just lied. He wasn't just thinking about it - they always went out for dinner at the end of the month - but Brett didn't know that. Liam turned into a street off the main road, being sure to look every which-way for danger first - a habit drilled into him by his mother from an early age. "So, um...texting. I hope you're not going to just text me the word 'hey' again until you drive me crazy."

"I'll try not to, but I can't really make any promises. I'm super awkward with the keyboard, and understand none of those text emojis or whatever the fuck they are."

Liam laughed. "Yeah. Well, you can type things out long-hand, if you want. I won't mind. I actually prefer seeing the whole word, unlike Mason's texts, which are borderline indecipherable."

It was Brett's turn to laugh - it was bright and full of life. Liam felt a twinge, wishing that he could be so open and friendly with him like he was with Mason. "Right. Long-hand texts for Liam."

Liam felt a blush creep across his cheeks as he crossed the street. "You don't have to. Like I said, stick with what you're comfortable with. Do what you want."

"Yes, mom." Brett teased before getting serious again. "So, what did you do today?"

"I was out with Mason at the arcade. I always win a lot of tickets, but I give them to him, because he's obsessed with them."

"Cool. I like the arcade. Which one did you go to?"

"The one in the mall, near the end. That's the one we usually go to, but there are a few others we like around the area."

"Huh, never been to that one before. I'm surprised. Lori insists on going to the arcade any chance she gets. She used to beg me every day, just after our parents died." He chuckled. "'Please, Brett, please. We could _live_ there.' She got really excited about that. It's her lifelong dream - to own an arcade."

Liam smiled. "Sounds great."

"So what's Mason want all those tickets for?"

"No clue, but he always says that one day, he'll find the best gift on the planet in the arcade and give it to me. Hasn't found it yet."

"Give it to you? When did he say this?"

Liam didn't hesitate - he wasn't ashamed of his dating history. "When we were dating."

There's a pause. "I'm...shocked. When did you date Mason?"

"Seventh grade. I kiss all my friend's cheeks, but Mason thought that it meant I liked him. He kissed me one day, and I couldn't say no. It only lasted a month, but we're still good friends, so I guess we did something right."

"Damn. So, he still promises you that he'll get you something awesome?"

"Yeah." Liam opened the door with his key and went to his bedroom, kicking his shoes off. "Hey, just curious, where are you?"

There's a slight pause. "My room. You?"

"Yeah, I just got home."

"Cool. So, why'd you want to know?"

Liam paused. He really didn't know. "I don't know. Guess I just wanted to know if you were safe."

"I'm safe." Brett said slowly. "But why wouldn't I be?"

"People die from walking while talking on their phones." Liam said without hesitation. "In fact, I shouldn't have been talking to you on my way home. I had to cross roads."

"Well then, I'm glad you're not dead."

"Yeah, so am I." Liam smiled as he lay back on his bed. "I'm really liking this – talking to you."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." Liam said sleepily, yawning.

"Well, I'm enjoying it too." Brett answered warmly.

"Mmhmm." Liam was drifting off. He closed his eyes for a few seconds before blinking them open slowly. Liam took his trousers and shoes off and slipped under the sheets. Brett was silent the whole time, clearly waiting for Liam to say something. He yawned again. "Brett?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm tired."

Brett swallowed audibly. "Should I hang up?" Brett sounded like he didn't want to.

"No, just...talk until I sleep. What did Lori do today? What did you do today?"

"Well, Lori and I have been together all day today. She's been working on this huge puzzle. I don't know how she has the patience. It's got ten thousand pieces. Mom got it for her just before she died. I honestly have no idea how it didn't burn in the fire, but I'm glad it didn't."

"Mm." He wasn’t really listening to what Brett was saying, but it registered that he was talking about his family – his past. He tried to pay attention, but he was slipping into unconsciousness quickly.

"So, she's been doing that, and I've been painting. I like painting, especially with oils."

"Wha'd you like painting?" Liam mumbled.

"Flowers, mostly. I have paintings of lilies and tulips and jasmine. My favourite are orchids, though. They're beautiful." His voice held a wistful quality, as though he was thinking of times long past.

"Maybe you'll paint one for me." Liam closed his eyes.

"I thought you were falling asleep." Brett's amused voice was coming from down a tunnel, so very far away.

"'Mm." Liam stirred. "I am...falling..." Liam's sentence trailed off into silence as he fell into unconsciousness.

  


Liam woke up the next morning to his phone alerting him to a message. Liam groaned, rolled over and looked at it.

**From: Brett T 8:34**

-Morning, sunshine. Sleep well?-

**To: Brett T 8:35**

-Yeah, but it's far too early for this shit, Brett. Go back to sleep.-

**From: Brett T 8:36**

-What? I've been up since two hours ago! And you went to bed before me.-

Liam snorted and typed a quick message back before getting out of bed.

**To: Brett T 8:38**

-Show off.-

Rubbing sleep from his eyes, he stumbled over to the shower and turned the taps on. His phone went off a couple of times, but he ignored it. He went down to breakfast.

His mother had made pancakes, and Liam breathed the smell in deeply. "Wow. That smells good, mom." He kissed her cheek in greeting, and she smiled at him.

"I know." She said, lightly swatting his ass with a tea towel. "Go sit down and I'll bring you yours." She always made strawberry and blueberry pancakes for him, because those were his favourite.

Liam laughed as he tried and failed to dodge the tea towel. "Thanks mom."

She laughed - a lovely, lively sound that lifted Liam's spirits - and kissed his cheek. "That’s alright, cupcake. How was Mason?"

"Yeah, he was doing alright. Still convinced that he'll find the perfect present for me at an arcade."

"That's him. Stubborn as a mule." She placed a plate in front of him. "And how was Brett?" She had a soft smile, and Liam rolled his eyes at her.

"He's doing fine too. He spent the day with his sister, doing puzzles." Liam smiled at his pancakes. "He texted me before he called to ask if it was okay."

She raised her eyebrows, smile widening. "And you still think he doesn't like you?"

Liam rolled his eyes. "He does it for everybody."

She pin-pointed him with an incredulous look. "Do you know that for sure?"

Liam blushed heavily, picking intently at a blueberry. "No...but...I believe him when he says that he does. And I don't know any of his friends, so I can't have asked."

She shrugged, smile still on her face. "Okay, whatever you say, cupcake. I'm just happy you're making friends. This new school is really good for you." She kissed his cheek before going back into the kitchen. "Finish your breakfast. I want you to help me with the dishes, and then we're moving the furniture. It's spring cleaning, even though it's not spring."

  


Liam helped his mother move all of the furniture outside to warm in the sun. He turned the mattresses and washed the sheets. He vacuumed the carpets and mopped the tiles. He emptied out the fridge of all the old food and cleaned it, including the freezer. At the end of the day, everything was spotless.

His mother was right there along side him every step of the way. She put her hands on her hips and sighed. "Right, time to move everything back in again."

After they'd finished doing that, Liam went upstairs before dinner and collapsed onto his newly washed sheets. He picked up his phone – twelve new messages and four missed calls. He opened the texts first.

**From: Brett T 8:39**

-Yeah, whatever. Got anything interesting planned for today?-

**From: Brett T 8:41**

-So, I was thinking of going on a hike next month. Text me your availability details, and we'll figure something out if you want to.

**From: Mason 11:14**

-u up 2 hngn out 2day?-

**From: Mason 11:58**

-Liam?-

**From: Brett T 01:12**

-Hey, was wondering if you wanted to go to a movie sometime? I'll check the details before texting again, but it'd be good to have a reply soon. ;:’)(4!? God, never mind the emojis. I will never understand.-

Liam smiled at the garbled text in the middle of the small paragraph. He scrolled through to the next text.

**From: Scott M 01:27**

-U free 2day?-

**From: Brett T 02:16**

-Liam? I expected a text...anyway, the times from the movies are 10, 10:30, 12:45 or 4:15. Let me know which times and days suit you, or if you even want to go at all. Also, Lori showed me a bit of how to do the emoji thing, ;( Is that right?-

**From: Brett T 02:53**

-I just realised that I didn’t tell you which movie...the new Captain America. Or we could go to Tinkerbelle with Lori, but I doubt you’d be into that.-

**From: Scott M 02:55**

-Liam? U k? U always get back to my texts quickly-

**From: Mason 03:26**

-Dd, wht happnd? Wher r u?-

**From: Brett T 04:00**

-Liam, are you okay? Do you want me to call you?-

**From: Mason 05:15**

-Buddy? Shld I cum over n c if ur k?-

**From: Scott M 05:20**

-I know ur k with calling, so im going to call, k?-

He opened his missed calls – three from Brett, one from Scott. He listened to Scott’s first.

"Liam, what’s going on, you never take this long...I'll try later, okay?"

He listened to Brett's first message next.

"Liam, I...I really need an answer, and I'm kind of freaking out. Are you okay?" The message ended, and it went on to the next message. "Why aren't you answering your phone? I wish you'd just answer your phone. Are you with Scott? Fuck, you might be with Scott." It went to the next message. "Okay, you're not hanging out with Scott, or Mason. Did I...Liam, did I do something wrong? Did I fuck this up? I really don't want to have fucked this up. Call me. Please."

He sounded wrecked. Liam found Brett's number and called him. It only rang once before Brett picked it up.

He spoke before Brett could get there. "Hey. Sorry I didn’t get your texts. I was helping mom clean the house."

There was a small pause. "You listen to my messages?"

"Yeah. You're really good at freaking out. And if you'd fucked up, you'd know about it. Really, I would go to your house and scream in your face, not passive-aggressively ignore you."

"Yeah I...I'm sorry. I just..." he sighed and swallowed, pausing for a few moments. "Ever since Lori and I became parentless, I've been worrying about her pathologically. It's my thing."

"You seem to be pretty good at it. It suits you. But your texting is shit. What was that emoji attempt?"

"Oh. Ha. Yeah...so, um, do I have an answer for the movies?"

"Sure. I'm all good for Wednesday, and Tinkerbelle is awesome. Never, ever put Tinkerbelle – or any Disney for that matter – down."

"Okay. I'm sure Lori will be thrilled. So Tinkerbelle as a definite, or are you going to spare me having to sit through a children's movie?"

"Oh, Lori and I'll go to Tinkerbelle, and you can watch Captain America. I'm not going to force you to do anything."

"Liam, the point of this was so that we could go together. Whatever you're watching, I am too. And I really don't mind watching Tinkerbelle. I've watched all the previous ones enough times."

A smile crossed Liam's face. "My God, you're so gay."

"You're the one who wants to watch Tinkerbelle!" Liam burst out laughing at that. "You are! I'm the victim here!"

"Oh, yeah. I can tell that you're suffering so much, Brett. You sound so pained." Liam teased.

"I _am_ pained! I have to go watch Tinkerbelle with my twelve-year-old sister and sixteen-year-old friend. And I'm seventeen!"

"There's nothing wrong with that! In fact, that's awesome! That's made up my mind. We're definitely going to go and see Tinkerbelle. So, Wednesday, four-fifteen. Tinkerbelle. Will you pick me up, or am I catching the bus?"

"I'll pick you up. I'll just need your address."

"Sure. I'll text it to you, just so you have it. Anyway, I need to call Scott and Mason, just to let them know I'm still alive, so I'll talk to you later, yeah?"

"Okay. Glad you're alive, Liam."

Liam smiled. "So am I, Brett. I'm glad you're still alive too."

Brett hung up and Liam called Scott next. "Hey, Scott."

"Liam! You're okay! You weren't picking up your phone."

"No, I was cleaning the house with my mom."

"Oh. Well, I was wondering if you were free tomorrow."

"Yeah, sure. What were you thinking of doing?"

"Just hanging out at my place. Stiles'll be there too, as will Malia. Lydia's busy, but I wanted to get the pack together. We might go to the mall or something later, but I'm not sure what everyone else wants."

"Cool. Sounds great. What time should I be there?"

"Around ten would be good."

"See you then."

"Yeah, bye."

Liam's call with Mason went just as smoothly, and they agreed to meet on Friday. That being done, it was time for dinner, and Liam fell asleep immediately afterwards, setting an alarm for eight.

  


Liam woke early and got to Scott's house by nine-forty. He knocked lightly, not wanting to wake anyone up. "Scott?" He knocked on the door again. "You up yet?"

"Yeah, coming." Scott called from upstairs. "Hey. Mom's still sleeping, so just come up to my room." Liam followed Scott upstairs. "The others ditched on me. Stiles and Malia are on a date."

"Just us, then?" Liam said nervously. He still wasn't entirely okay with being Scott's beta, especially when he was alone with him. "Hey, you heard from Hayden?"

"No. Haven't you?"

"No." Liam sighed. "She said she loved me, but I don't think she does. I don't think I do."

"Have you told her?" Scott asked softly.

"No. I wouldn't know how to. She's my first girlfriend and...I don't know. I just..."

"Well, maybe you should-" Scott's words were cut off by Liam's phone going off.

"Speak of the devil." Liam said, amused. "It's Hayden." He opened the text and frowned.

Scott picked up on his unhappiness straight away. "What is it?"

Liam shook his head and put his phone away, holding back tears. "Doesn't matter." He took a shaky breath. "But I should go home now, Scott."

Scott frowned, but let him go. When Liam got home, he snuck past his mother and crawled into bed. He took out his phone and looked at the texts.

There was a picture of Hayden kissing a girl with a boy next to her. The caption below it was 'they treat me better than you do'.

The words stabbed right through his chest. He'd known that it was going to end sooner rather than later, but he didn't think he'd done anything to deserve _that_. Usually, his IED would take this opportunity to flare up, but he was far too heartbroken. He just pushed his face into his pillow and sobbed.

After about twenty minutes, he texted Mason to come over. After a pause, he also asked Brett over. He received a text from Brett shortly afterwards.

**From: Brett T 11:09 AM**

-Be there soon-

Mason sent one too, but he was busy. Liam silently thanked higher powers that he was friends with Brett.

  


Brett knocked on Liam's door some ten minutes later. Liam would have answered it, but he was busy moping. His mother opened it, and said that she didn't think he was home. He heard Brett say that he'd received a text from him. His mother sounded sceptical, but sent him up. Liam heard the footsteps on the stairs and snaked a hand out from underneath the covers. He opened the door before Brett got to the top of the stairs.

Brett hesitated, but stepped into Liam's room. "Liam? Are you okay?"

"No." Liam moaned from underneath his covers. Brett frowned and sat to the edge of the bed. Liam felt him hesitate again. He rolled over to look at Brett, who'd frozen in shock, hand outstretched. "I don't care if you touch me, Brett."

Brett looked conflicted for a moment before sighing. "Okay." He stroked Liam's hair back from his face. Liam sighed and relaxed under the touch. "What happened?"

Liam groaned and shifted on the bed, moving away from Brett. "Can we not talk about that right now, please?"

"Okay." He fell silent as he looked around Liam's room. "What do you want to do, then?"

Liam tugged on Brett's sleeve. "Come and lie down with me. I need cuddles."

Brett looked downright shocked. "What? Cuddles?"

"Yeah, cuddles. You know, where you wrap you-"

"I know what cuddles are, Liam. I just...I didn't think that you'd want them. Especially not from me."

Liam sighed. "Well, right now, I don't care who I get them from." He looked up at Brett pleadingly. "Please. I just really don't want to think about it."

"Okay." Brett said softly, sinking under the covers with Liam. As soon as he lay on his back, Liam rested his head on Brett's chest and sighed.

"Thanks. For coming over, I mean. And letting me do this."

Brett ran his right hand over Liam's top shoulder blade and down his back, repeating the motion again before answering. "No problem. I'm available most of the time, you know?"

"Yeah. Still, thanks."

Brett only nodded, and they stayed like that for a long time, until it was well into the afternoon.

Liam had fallen asleep, but was jostled awake when Brett moved. He'd rolled onto his side to face Liam and had put a protective arm around his shoulders. Liam sighed again and relaxed back into the embrace.

Two hours later, Liam was the one shifting uncomfortably. He rolled onto his other side so that Brett was effectively spooning him, although he was too far away. Brett quickly solved this by pulling Liam in closer.

Liam was going to protest until he heard Brett's light snoring. He smiled to himself and made himself comfortable in Brett's embrace, slowly falling asleep himself.

  


Liam woke to the sound of his phone ringing. He blinked blearily and startled at the arm around his waist. He soon remembered who it was, but it made his heart beat out of his chest. Brett moaned behind him as Liam reached for his phone. "Hello?"

"Dude, what? Don't you 'hello' me! I was nearly having a heart attack! You texted me to ask if I could come over and just _ignored_ me! What's going on? I thought you'd _died_ , Liam!"

"Sorry. I fell asleep."

"You _fell asleep_? What the hell? Dude, I was totally freaking out!"

"I'm sorry." Liam didn't know what else to say.

Brett groaned from behind him and shifted. "What's going on?"

"Nothing. Mason's just having a panic attack."

Brett shot up and took the phone from Liam's hand. "It's okay. Just stay calm. I've dealt with panic attacks before. You just need to stay calm and br- you're not? Oh. Sorry. I just know that panic attacks are _not_ fun. Lori had a lot when mom and dad died. Yeah. You alright?" He waited for Mason to answer. "Oh, I don't know why, but he was really upset. I just hugged him, and we fell asleep." Another pause while Mason talked. "Sure, you can talk to him."

He hands the phone back to Liam and sits back, looking somewhat less stressed. "Hi."

"You _slept with Brett_ "

"Well, I don't-"

"You are completely forgiven for sleeping through my calls, as long as you tell me _everything_ when you're done."

"Mason, I'm not-" Liam stopped, because he'd hung up. He sighed. "Damn it." He looked over at Brett. "I'm breaking up with Hayden. She's cheating on me." He showed Brett the picture.

"She sent you this?" Liam nodded. "That's awful. Are you okay?"

"Yeah." He took a shaky breath. "I'll need some time, though." He looked through his lashes at Brett. "Stay?"

Brett smiled softly. "If you want me to."

"I do. Maybe for a few nights, if that's okay." Liam said nervously, picking at the corner of his duvet.

"That's fine." Brett touches his shoulder in a friendly manner. "I'm your friend now, remember? I'm here for as long as you need me."

Liam felt a wave of gratitude, and his heart tightened in his chest. Unable to stop himself, he surged forward and hugged Brett. "Thank you." He felt tears pricking at the corners of his eyes. He pushed his forehead against Brett's shoulder, breathing heavily, trying not to cry.

Brett circled his arms around Liam's waist and rubbed his back softly. "It's okay. Have you really not had a friend do this for you?"

"Apart from Mason, I haven't really had many friends. Not _real_ friends, in any case." He shook his head. "They wouldn't do this for me."

"Well, I don't think that they were very good friends, then. Even if they weren't your _best_ friends, they should still have been there for you when you needed them."

Liam sniffed and nodded. "I guess."

Brett held Liam tighter, and Liam sank into the embrace. He felt safe there, as if Brett could protect him from anything and everything that might come to get him. He started breathing again, shakily at first, but then more evenly as he started to fall back asleep. He hadn't noticed that he'd been crying. He swallowed heavily and pulled away from Brett.

Going downstairs, he felt the warmth from sleep and Brett leave him. He shivered in the cool evening air. When Brett spoke from behind him, he almost spilled the cup of water he was holding.

"Are you okay?"

"Jesus Christ, Brett. You could have let me know that you were there before. You startled me."

Brett blushed. "Sorry. I thought you would have heard me. Lori always does. I guess I'm just used to moving quietly."

Liam exhaled heavily. "That's okay. Just don't do that again, yeah?" Brett nodded, and Liam continued. "I'm doing fine, thank you very much. I was just thirsty." He indicated the water.

"I can see that, Liam. I'm not an idiot."

"I know you're not, but you're a ghost. No one should be able to move that quietly." Liam felt irritated, and he could feel his IED simmering under the surface. He tried to turn the temperature down, but he'd have a hard job of it if Brett kept being a smartass.

Brett frowned and got a glass of his own, then hesitated. "You don't mind, do you?"

"Nah, help yourself." Liam said, shrugging. Inwardly, though, he was seething. He walked out to the lounge room, willing himself to just let it go.

Brett followed him moments later and sat down in the chair opposite, further irritating Liam. _We cleaned all that just yesterday, and he comes in like he ownes the place. He didn't even take his shoes off. Probably tracked dirt through the house._

Brett, seemingly noticing that something's wrong, stood and made his way to the couch Liam was on. He crouched down next to him. "Liam, are you-"

"I'm fine." Liam snapped, leaving his glass on the table beside the chair and walking through to the laundry, putting wet washing in the dryer. Brett followed warily and stood awkwardly in the doorway. _Damn him, not even **offering** to help. What a prick. Jesus._ Liam thought grumpily as he stuffed the pieces of fabric in with much more force than necessary.

Liam felt Brett about to say something, so he whirled and shouted at him. "What are you doing?"

Brett recoiled. "I...what?"

"You're just standing there! You sat on a chair we'd cleaned and aired _yesterday_ without asking, and now you're just _watching_ me do the washing! Get lost!"

Brett pressed his lips together and slunk off to somewhere else. Liam heard his mother's voice, and peered around the corner, already feeling guilty. Brett had gone for the door, but Liam's mother had stopped him.

"He got mad at me. I thought-"

She shook her head. "He wants you here. He just...it's his IED. He can't help it. He tries. He really does. I think...when he gets like this, it's actually a cry for help. He needs you."

Liam blushed and looked back at the washing. He heard footsteps ascend the stairs, and then heard another set of footsteps approach from behind. "Sorry." Liam says to the lid of the dryer.

"It's not me you should be apologising to, cupcake." Liam sighed - of course it was his mother. "He likes you. And I can tell that you like him too, don't you?"

Liam sighed, turning to face her. "I...yeah. I'd kind of be an idiot not to. He's gorgeous, tall, smart - everything anyone could want."

"That's what's making you flustered, isn't it?" Liam chews his lip, but nods slowly. "Well, you know what I said before - tell him how you feel. I'm sure he'll get it." She stroked his cheek. "It'll work out. Promise."

"Thanks mom."

She smiled warmly. "Go up and talk to him."

Liam walked upstairs and knocked on his door lightly. "Brett?"

"You don't have to ask for permission, Liam - it's your house." Brett's voice was muffled, but understandable through the door.

Even with Brett's reassurance, Liam was tentative when opening the door. He pushed it in slightly, listening to the small creak of protest from the hinges. He saw Brett sitting on the edge of his bed, hands clasped together. Liam stepped into the room and shut the door as quietly as he could.

Feeling like a cornered animal, he slunk up the mattress to sit next to Brett, swallowing heavily, chest heaving, heart pounding. "I...I'm sorry. About snapping. It was stupid."

"That's okay." Brett gave him a small, sad smile. "Still want me to stay the night?"

"Yeah. I do."

Brett looked surprised. "Really?"

Liam's smile widened. "Yeah, really. I really want you to stay here tonight, Brett. It would...make me very happy."

Brett turned to look at Liam for the first time since he'd entered. "Why?"

Liam didn't really know how to answer. He slipped his hand into Brett's and squeezed. Then, leaning over, he slowly kissed Brett's cheek. Brett turned to him more fully and smiled broadly. Liam took that chance to grab Brett by the back of the neck and pull him in.

  


**Well, that's all folks :) Again, feel free to continue if you have an idea, or change it around, cut and paste text, whatever it is you want to do with it. Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed it. :) I edited this so it does have an 'ending' but it can be continued of you want - what does Mason get Liam at the arcade? How does Liam and Brett's date go? Have fun, guys.**


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